AY - Academy Years - Second
by Cpt. Kallan Beyda
Summary: Set in the Academy Years Universe. Join Kallan and Dylan as they enter their second year at the IRO academy. New challenges face them at every turn. Their friendship grows steadily stronger as they face personal and professional trials. Will they come out the other side unscathed or changed forever.
1. Returning to the Fold

'Ahm,' holding his evening meal tray, Dylan cleared his throat. He'd flown back to Arcology two hours ago in the Commodore's personal vehicle. Planning his arrival for the very last minute, Cadet Beyda rushed to locate his new quarters and dress for mess hall.

'What,' Joseph Ng screwed up his face in surprise as the others surrounding the table looked at him with a meaningful expression.

Turning to face the individual making the noise, a frown appeared on the young Chinese cadet's face. When Joseph discovered the chair empty beside Kallan James, he'd rejoiced. Rumour had it she'd broken up with her long term boyfriend over the end of year break. Added to that, her usual companion hadn't returned from his vacation. Using the opportunity to rub shoulders with the pretty blonde before classes recommenced in the morning, he hoped to gage her readiness to date.

'You're in his chair,' Tiny grinned from across the table, pointing out Dylan glaring at the interloper. 'He always sits beside Kallan. Seating arrangements at this table have become a tradition.'

Looking to Ryoko at his side, Tiny shared an obvious joke. From the night Harrison ended up in the infirmary, the tight knit group of friends noticed a subtle change. It signalled the inclusion of Ryoko into their ranks. It also formed the catalyst for a closer bond between Kallan and Dylan. None of them questioned the change, being the only ones to know the truth about the events of that night and how much they had affected Cadet James.

'I don't see anyone's name on it,' Joseph refused to give up, indicating the end of the trestle table, 'besides there's space down there.'

Picking up her meal, Kallan shook her head. Smiling politely at her class mate, she wondered why he didn't get it. She'd never made a move to welcome him. In fact she'd been looking forward to seeing Dylan after a month apart. This gave her the opening to get Cadet Beyda alone and discuss the events occurring during her visit home.

'So there is. Come on Dylan,' she teased, winking at him, 'I want to catch up on your vacation with The Commodore. You can tell me all about those Hawaiian hula dancers you dated over the break. I bet you managed to get more than one grass skirt into a better location.'

'You're just jealous. I got sun and beach while you soaked your feet,' he grinned back. Following her down the table to an empty area, Dylan displayed a rare moment of humour.

'You heard what happened last year,' Ryoko waited until the pair where out of ear shot before asking the oblivious cadet.

'The Harrison incident,' he guessed, recalling the gossip. Few knew what really occurred and those who did, wouldn't say anything. The cadet had been rapidly transferred after spending several nights in the infirmary with a head injury.

Nodding her head, Ryoko added, 'Dylan picked up the pieces and has acted as Kallan's knight in shining armour ever since.' Glaring at Joseph before he could ask any more questions, she stated in a determined voice, 'they're always been good friends. I should know, sharing with Cadet James last year. It's not a bond any of us are likely to break.'

'Besides,' Luc added with a mocking smile, 'he has something the rest of us can't complete with.'

'What?' Joseph asked, astounded.

Managing to get a seat with the tight knit group, he considered himself lucky. Since the earliest days at the academy, they'd formed a cohesive circle. Only Ryoko managed admittance and that through her association with Tiny. Now he understood the basis of their friendship. It didn't rely on being in the top percentage of students. Rather they knew each other. They'd developed deep and steadfast friendships, protecting one other from the worst the academy could throw at them.

'Dylan's grandfather, The Commodore,' Chadapa offered, 'is the head of the IRO's oceanography station in Hawaii.'

'Oh,' Joseph made the surprised noise. He hadn't realised Dylan to be that well connected.

'Kallan plans to be the first female Thunderbird Captain,' Bruce added, 'and she's taking oceanography as her major this year in preparation to pilot TB-4. It'd be mighty handy to have your best friend's family in a position to help you secure that kind of future.'

'Dylan's father,' Valesh continued, 'is a Commander in the IRO and has something to do with the new space habitats. I wouldn't mind betting, they get some space experience before we get our training in our final year.'

Joseph suddenly saw the attraction. Understanding the brushoff, he played with his meal. He didn't have a chance with Cadet James, it appeared no one did. Her time and attention completely devoted to staying at the top of the class culminating in the Thunderbird training program.

'They're talking about us,' Dylan observed, glancing at his friends.

'Let them,' Kallan smiled, facing the group they'd left and winked brazenly. Tiny, blatantly watching the interaction returned the cheeky gesture. 'Who's your roommate?' she returned her focus to the man sitting opposite.

'Leonardo Macchetta,' he answered with a frown realising the reason behind Kallan's question. 'I've never really had much to do with him before a couple of hours ago. I think he might be a stickler for regulations.'

'That's going to curtail any midnight visits from your female admirers,' she teased. 'I believe Leo doesn't date much and rarely leaves quarters. He fought to get here so staying at the academy means a lot to him. It's going to be an interesting year for you Hotshot.'

'You have any better luck?' Dylan fired back, wondering how they'd continue their relationship with the mounting obstacles.

'Kate Brown,' she smiled allowing a twinkle to enter her green eyes. 'Not only are our rooms at opposite ends of the floor, neither of our room mates are likely to drop out this year, so we're stuck with them. At least Kate goes to all the academy parties and dates frequently, so I might be able to arrange something.'

Dylan's expression said so much. It forced a giggle from Kallan, who could almost read his thoughts. Reminding her of Cathol, her face sobered.

'You've got something to tell me,' Dylan remark easily reading the change, 'something important must have happened in Ireland for you to risk us sitting far enough away from everyone to start gossip.'

'Cathol and Ann got married,' she fired back, allowing her expression to tell Dylan how she really felt about the fact.

'Why?' he asked, perplexed, remembering the conversations they'd shared about Kallan's favourite brother.

'Family,' Kallan responded, telling him the unabridged story. 'I can't believe they agreed and then went through with it. They've only just turned eighteen. They're off to college and away from the expectations of family for the first time. They should be discovering life and who they really are.'

'You,' Dylan broke in to remind her, 'came here with preconceived ideas, picked someone safe to spend your time with so you could continue on a predetermined path without getting distracted. True, we've both grown, but that because the academy is forcing us into a mould they've set. Is that so different to your brother?'

'Yes,' she hissed, 'they've made this massive promise because someone else decided they needed to follow the socially acceptable path. Cathol admitted he'd been pressured into it, even if he had every intention of marrying Ann in five years' time.'

'Not everyone is as focused and determined as us,' Dylan reminded, wanting to reach out in support. One look into her green orbs and he could see what this discussion cost Kallan in terms of self-respect.

'But they are, in their way,' Kallan complained, acknowledging the comfort with a glance. 'Cathol and Ann graduated top of their class so they could both attend the same university. They have plans to return to rural medicine together after years of training. The path they've chosen is almost as long and arduous as ours.'

'Then how are they any different to us,' he challenged, 'except for a legal document?'

'Oh, the fact they live together,' she counted fingers, 'get to sleep in the same bed every night. Promising to share that life until they die, it's been sanctioned by both sets of parents and the church. Finally they're in love and have been since they turned fourteen, at least I think that's when most people noticed the attraction.'

'OK so you've got a couple of points in your favour,' he tried to humour. It never worked. Dylan's serious personality made it seem like he lectured. Giving him a look, he knew she understood. 'Seriously, Kallan, your brother and his wife are doing exactly what they want. It's just the when that's changed.'

'It's not the marriage,' she lamented, 'they always planned to do that. And I know their perfect for each other. It's the fact they've been forced into something to fit another person's ideas of socially acceptable behaviour.'

Shaking his head, Dylan summarised, 'your brother sounds like a strong minded individual who wouldn't bend to parental pressure unless he wanted too. In some ways he sounds very much like you in personality. He must have considered this step carefully before he agreed to it. Cathol and Ann made the choice about how they want to live their life, just as you have. Not everyone is strong enough to come thousands of kilometres to attend the academy, removing themselves from parental restriction to follow their dreams.'

'No, it's often easer to cave into expectation. With my mother, it's always been about controlling her children's destiny, what she considered best for us,' she confessed, 'at least it seems that way for me.'

'I know,' Dylan stated softly, making sure he captured her gaze. The simple statement offered so much. It also explained his capitulation on the return flight from Hawaii months ago and his continuing agreement to keep their relationship quiet.

'Are you done?' Kallan pointed to Dylan's dinner tray. They'd both been playing with their food during the conversation. 'I need to get out of here for a while.'

Nodding, he indicated they should go. There were things he wanted to do, if only they could find somewhere private. After a month apart, a month without being able to touch and pleasure each other, Dylan needed the chance to reconnect on an intimate level. Glancing at Kallan, she had the same thoughts. They didn't need to ask were they'd go. Virgil Park their destination, they both realised how many obstacles would be in their way this year.

'Nanna planned a visit Ireland,' Dylan broke the heavy silence as they walked, 'the second week of vacation.'

'Let me guess,' Kallan managed a smile, 'Dorathea displayed disappointment when she realised you didn't have any intention of looking me up even though you could have easily found my address. I'm glad you didn't just drop in. The entire family would have been knee deep in wedding plans. You showing up would have created a meltdown.'

'I think Nanna understood how much I missed my best friend,' Dylan said, feeling brave enough to reach out a hand, curling a blonde lock between his fingers. Allowing his hand to continue down her shoulder and arm, he finally tucked her smaller palm in his. Leading Kallan to their bench, they sat, side by side.

'You went anyway?' she asked, content to display this much intimacy for the moment.

'We stayed overnight with her younger brother, who's about the same age as my father,' shaking his head, Dylan came to realise the differences between his upbringing and Kallan's. 'I've never been before so it gave me a better understanding of your parent's customs and the reason you react the way you do. Nanna describes her family a traditional. I guess they're a lot like yours.'

Laughing openly at his expression, Kallan's eyes held mischief. 'Get a taste of good, wholesome Irish culture. I bet you stood around watching and not saying a word.'

'Didn't get the chance,' Dylan added cynically. 'My father's cousins, who are the same age as us, decided to take me out on the town for the night. I'd never met these people before but they included me like, well, a long lost relative. We got back in time for breakfast and church.'

'That,' Kallan responded, her merriment obvious, 'would have been interesting. Did you go?' Giving her a look that said, _do you think I had a choice_, Kallan chuckled. 'I bet they dragged you out sightseeing after that. You can't beat the hospitality of the Irish!'

'Pop sent his launch before my second cousins could drag me out for the day,' Dylan responded. 'He had a weeklong meeting in London. I managed to catch up with an old school friend, Susan Frantosa.'

'You've never mentioned her before,' Kallan teased, 'someone I need to be worried about.'

'Maybe,' he grinned, 'in the distant past. Susan's your age and has an older brother Edward. Their father is Richard Frantosa.'

'The engineer who plans to build an underwater electricity plant?' she queried. Nodding his head in agreement, Kallan asked, 'which boarding school did you attend in England?' Naming a prestigious and well know institution, she gasped. 'You came second in your class with that kind of competition?'

Nodding Dylan smirked. 'Susan's studying engineering at Oxford while Edward is already working as a geologist for his father's company.'

'So,' Kallan turned her green, mischievous eyes on him, 'you and Susan spent a quite week together.'

Ignoring her teasing, Dylan didn't want to get into how well Susan wanted to get reacquainted. He knew Kallan could guess by his silent embarrassment. Once again she surprised him by brushing off the subject. He wondered if it had more to do with trust in him or the fact she considered them just good friends. The idea of a sexual encounter with another woman abhorrent, he realised the depth of the bond they shared. Even if he'd wanted to take up Susan's offer, Dylan Beyda didn't consider himself free to do so.

'Two days,' Dylan finally responded. He'd missed Kallan humour and ability to poke fun at him. When she teased, calling him hotshot and insinuated relationships with other women, he enjoyed the attention. Susan's intense personality, too much like his own, left Dylan feeling awkward at her continued flirting. 'I have some news. Mum, Dad and Danny arrived back in Hawaii a few hours after me. They're moving to San Francisco. Dad's been assigned a permanent position on the space colonies project.'

'Oh,' Kallan offered surprised. 'You spent the last two weeks with them?'

'Yes,' he smiled, 'in Hawaii. Mum and Danny asked after you. Tell me what you did, after Cathol and Ann left on their honeymoon?' He half expected to Kallan to turn up at his grandfather's home at some point in her holiday. That she didn't spoke volumes about her resolution to keep relationship from her parents. After a single day with his Irish relatives, Dylan had a new appreciation of why Kallan acted the way she did.

'I felt estranged from my friends when I first went home,' Kallan confessed. 'Mum had me so busy until Cathol and Ann's wedding I didn't have much time for to anything. Then Clodagh managed get me away from the village we live in for an overnight unsanctioned bachelor party. I forgot how much fun she can be.'

Managing a slight smile, he understood. 'University's not that much different from the academy. I guess your friend is revelling in the freedom.'

'So it would seem,' Kallan agreed. 'I expect a lot of my school friends won't return after they've graduated. Like me, they found going home brought mixed emotions and restrictions they're no longer willing to submit too. I learnt how much I've grown away from my family and friends, and yet we're still going through the same emotions.'

'Meeting up with Susan,' Dylan stated, 'I realised the same thing. What happened with the Aaron situation? I've heard the gossip about you breaking up with your long term boyfriend. In case you didn't know, it's all over the academy.'

'His hints were more about the lack of propriety,' giving Dylan a look that could melt steel, Kallan's anger surfaced, 'than any personal relationships I might be involved with. He made it sound as though everyone is promiscuous and without morals. I had to avoid my mother's probing questions about what I get up to,' Kallan tried to keep a straight face. She lost the battle. 'When she discovered I'd learnt how to fire a weapon and fly a plane I think it finally began to sink in that she had no control over my actions anymore. She forgot about the inquisition into my romantic life.'

'That's one advantage of coming from a service family,' Dylan managed in support, 'they know what I could get up too.'

'Clodagh invited me to go with her to Dublin for the last week,' Kallan reminisced. 'She'd reached her limit of quiet country life and to be honest, so had I. I needed to come back to the academy early to get some rest. I don't know how she manages to fill her nights with parties, still passing her classes in the day.'

They'd caught up but not in a way that mattered. Unsure how they could continue the intimacy of their friendship, Dylan sighed heavily. 'I guess we'd better go back to the academy.'

'Dylan,' she lifted a palm to his cheek, 'I'm sorry this is all we can have right now. It's not what I want either.'

Nodding his understanding, he pulled her in for a quick, deep kiss. It communicated more than he'd like. From his side at least, it demonstrated his desperation and frustration.

'Maybe,' he suggested, 'we should walk away from this. It seems impossible.'

'If that's what you really want,' Kallan's green eyes speared his soul, gaining her answer in seconds. 'We'll find a way, Dylan. I promise.'

One thing he could count on with Kallan, she always kept her word.


	2. Making New Friends

'So,' Kate asked, 'where did you and Cadet Beyda disappear too? I think the entire student population saw you slink out of the mess together.'

She'd heard the rumours. It'd be impossible not to. One of her objectives, sharing with Kallan James would be to find out if there really was anymore to the friendship between the cadets placed equal first in their class.

'Catching up,' Kallan offered blandly, turning away. The phrase didn't give her the satisfaction it should have.

'That's what we're calling it this year,' Kate asked, carefully watching her new roommate. They didn't know each other well. They hadn't been assigned a project or small group tutorial in common over their freshman year.

'No,' Kallan hid her monumental disappointment at the very obvious interest in her life. 'I believe that's still called **_entertainment_**. I just hope you do a lot less of it than my last roommate.'

'I heard,' Kate probed, wondering what caused the sudden change in Ryoko, 'she's a lot less choosy these days.'

'Committed,' Kallan faced the girl with a tight smile covering her face. 'I don't make judgements on how other people live their lives,' she continued with a tone of warning, 'even if I'm intimately aquatinted with all the facts.'

'What happened?' Kate asked intrigued by the unusual response to what should have been a through away line. 'You know,' she continued, hands on hips, 'I've just realised how much of Dylan's serious, aloof nature is rubbing off on you.' In the second half of last year, she'd been assigned several projects with Cadet Beyda and found him to be detached, withdrawn and extremely self-contained. Personally she couldn't see the attraction to his sorrowful brown eyes which didn't miss a thing and lacked any real expression. 'When we first started you were fun loving, jovial and flirted with all the boys, even if you didn't mean too. Now you have time for a select few and the only one you flirt with is Dylan, probably because he keeps you at the same distance he keeps everyone.'

'Dylan's not distant and aloof,' Kallan defended her friend with a little more feeling than she meant too.

Razing an eyebrow, Kate refuted the statement. 'Are you coming to the welcome party?' she asked suddenly.

Shaking her head, Kallan understood how her new roommate must see her and the group she socialised with. 'I guess we should at least attempt to socialize. We do stick together,' finding her trade mark humour, the cadet grinned, 'because none of us enjoy the drunken behaviour the rest of the cadets feel the need to exhibit when they let their hair down. I guess that'll have to change this year. I'm the only one majoring in oceanography, which means I'm going to be very lonely unless I increase my circle of friends. At this rate, I might find myself sitting by myself in class.'

'This,' Kate returned enthusiastically, 'brings me to the point I tried to make earlier. In spite of the rumours about your love life, or lack of one, we both need **_entertainment_** time. As tonight shows, even if there really is nothing between you and Dylan, you like to spend time with your friend, without company. I don't have a boyfriend, yet, but that doesn't mean I'm not looking.'

'Any favourites,' Kallan couldn't help the question escaping.

'Maybe,' Kate joined in the good natured bantering. It demonstrated the possibility of them becoming friends.

'If you want to know what they're really like,' Kallan hinted, 'I'll get the inside scoop from…'

'Dylan,' Kate teased.

'Luc, Tiny, Chadapa, Valesh,' Kallan added, 'but Bruce's information will probably be the best.'

'Takes one,' Kate snickered, 'to know one. I like the way you think and might just take you up on that offer.'

'What do you propose,' Kallan hid her grin but the mischief in her eyes couldn't be contained, 'you throw me out of the room on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays.'

'Leaving you the rest of the week,' Kate added with a genuine laugh. 'Seriously, are you going to continue using the sim until late at night?'

'Dylan's passed flight school,' Kallan fielded an amazed glance from her roommate. 'He promised to take me out in a real plane this semester so I don't crash the first time we're allowed to fly. I have to stay at the top somehow.'

'I'm beginning to see the attraction,' she joked, 'and here I though you just used that as an excuse to be together. No wonder you're the best in the class, with a private tutor.'

'I'm going to use all my charm,' Kallan commented, enjoying the foray into a decent feminine conversation, 'to see if I can swing a few sessions in the TB training cockpit.'

'You're kidding,' eyes wide, Kate gaped at the woman's audacity.

'No,' Kallan's green orbs twinkled. 'By the end of the year, I guarantee I'll have logged at least twenty hours in TB-1's simulator and twice that in TB-4. I've already memorised the manuals for both vehicles.'

Kate found a chuckle, 'just let me know when you plan to go, and I'll make sure my **_entertainment_** is out of here by the time you get back. In the meantime, let's look at our timetables.' Going to her study area, she pulled up the class schedule so they could compare calendars.

'Well,' Kallan looked disappointed, 'that's not going to work for me, unless you're going to spend the evening in the library.'

'Which evening would you like that to be?' Kate tormented. 'I get the evenings you're in the sim, on the firing range, learning to fly a real plane and the weekend excursions with the Honour role. It doesn't take much effort to stay at the top,' she allowed an eyebrow to arch skyward.

Kallan gave the young woman a glare. Only now, speaking to another student, did she appreciate the amount of extra work she considered normal. It also gave her a new appreciation of Dylan's work ethic, which matched hers.

'There's always the old Victorian Method the ladies in my novels use,' Kate hinted, realising she'd lost her roommate to an internal predicament. When Kallan realised, her expression questioned Cadet Brown, who laughed and filled her in. 'When a Lady entertained a gentleman, not her husband, she'd leave a lit candle outside the door to welcome him in. He'd extinguish the candle to say they were busy and light it again on his way out.'

'I see you go for the subtle method,' Kallan responded, trying to hide her sudden mirth. 'I'm sure no one else would understand such an antiquated system that indicated when you're sleeping with another cadet.'

'Not to mention,' Kate returned with a chuckle, 'it's against fire regulations.'

Fighting the urge to make a comment about generated heat and fraternisation, one look at her roommate had Kallan in stiches of laughter. Kate knew what she'd been about to insinuate. Whatever reservations Kallan held about this year, disappeared in that moment. Between Kallan, Kate and Dylan, they most defiantly work something out.

Dylan sighed, entering what would be his quarters for the rest of the year. He didn't have the same level of confidence Kallan displayed in their ability to make them work. Leo arrived back from break first. Traditionally that person got to choose their cot. Naturally he'd selected the bed by the window leaving Dylan the noisy bed sharing a wall with the raucous corridor. Looking at his unopened kit, Cadet Bayda wondered if he could just pick up his gear and take one of the unused rooms down the hall.

He'd arrived back at the academy in time to find his room allotment, change from traveling to working uniform and get to the mess for evening meal. Now he began the arduous task of unpacking as the curfew chimes sounded. Layered between his civilian clothing, he mother slipped a framed picture taken in Hawaii. Smiling, Dylan remembered the night he danced to the rhythm of a four piece band with Kallan in his arms. It seemed a lifetime ago.

_Fat chance of that happening any time soon_, he lamented. Placing the pleasurable memory in his bedside draw, he stood the photo of Danny and his mother on top of the night stand.

'You're Mama called,' Leo stated with a scoff. His roommate returned from the shower, dressed for slumber.

'Thank you,' Dylan answered politely, unwilling to be drawn into a discussion.

In spite of her inhibitions, he'd walked Kallan to her quarters, whishing he could accompany her inside. She'd opened the door without a backwards glance. Dylan heard Kate's initial gambit and wondered if he should just stand up to Kallan's rules. Sighing heavily, he knew that would never happen. The time to change the basis of their friendship had come and gone. Dylan had only himself to blame. After all, he'd been the one to make the decision and let her return to the Academy alone.

Confused Leo climbed into his bed, watching the other cadet continue to unpack. Without a word, he moved silently around the room. Finally striping down to shorts and a t-shirt, Dylan climbed into his cot.

'Goodnight,' Dylan stated in a neutral tone. He didn't feel in a friendly mood. Turning out the light, he wondered if this stilted exchange would set the mode for the rest of the year.

'Bounanotte,' Leo responded quietly, at a loss to explain Cadet Beyda's actions. Still it wouldn't bother him enough to lose sleep over it.

'So,' Kallan asked at breakfast the next morning, 'how did last night go.'

Luc groaned, rolled his eyes and stated, 'the less said.'

'Lee Wu,' Chadapa mouthed to a confused group. They all knew the very studious individual by reputation. 'He's determined to beat the two of you this year for Honours.'

'Both Tiny and Ryoko managed to get the singles,' Bruce give the African cadet a malicious glare. 'I got Kallan's secret admirer.'

'You're sharing with Joseph Ng,' Kallan at least saw the humours side of that.

'Chadapa and Valesh can speak Hindi to their hearts content,' Ryoko teased, indicating the two Indian cadets shared a room.

'Well,' Dylan finally entered the conversation, 'it'll be an interesting year.'

Luc looked to Kallan, requesting she fill them in. 'Dylan's sharing with Leo Macchetta.'

'OK,' Luc managed a slight smile, 'so I didn't get the worst end of the bargain then.'

'Thanks,' Dylan managed. 'What about Kate?'

Only Kallan understood the undercurrent in his loaded question. 'I think it'll work out. Anything,' she teased, glancing towards Ryoko with a taunting grin, 'has to be better than last year.'

'I believe,' Ryoko returned, 'you're right.'

Snorting, Bruce turned to Tiny and Ryoko, 'you two will just have to let us know when you're **_entertaining_**. That way we can use the empty room. No use it going to waste.'

'No way,' Kallan glared at the roguish Australian, 'I know what you do on other people's bunks. It took me two days to requestion new sheets. Ryoko and Tiny would never live it down. Besides,' she waved her spoon, 'somehow Lt Antonov found out about the night I spent elsewhere. If I'd gotten a fraternisation citation…'

'Hey don't blame me,' Bruce acted wounded, 'Hotshot here told the Lieutenant himself.'

'If I remember correctly,' Chadapa grinned, 'Dylan only confirmed the fact Kallan didn't sleep in her own bed, and you actually made the assumption they spent the night together.'

'Any time you need to do some **_entertaining_**,' Ryoko glanced at her old roommate understanding it would never happen, 'just let me know. I'm sure Tiny and I can arrange something for **_you_**.'

'Thanks,' Kallan managed to keep a straight face as she rose with her empty tray and started to walk away. 'I might need it later this year. After all, getting over Aaron will require someone from my gym class to offer a little distraction to mend my broken heart.'

'Who's Aaron?' Bruce asked the question one's everyone's mind. They all turned their attention to Dylan.

'You know that long term boyfriend everyone is saying Kallan broke up with over the holidays,' Dylan hinted to draw away any insinuations.

'Are you saying,' Luc swallowed hard spearing Dylan with an astounded expression, 'that's actually true.'

'I wouldn't take the chance of telling you anything about Cadet James private life,' Dylan's tone warned, abruptly leaving the group.

'Any truth in that,' Luc turned to Ryoko, his agenda well known among his friends.

'Some guy with an Irish accent came the weekend Kallan had leave last year,' Ryoko shrugged her shoulder. 'I know she left with him and Dylan. Dylan spent the weekend in Hawaii with his family. When Kallan came back, well, you all know what happened.'

'Isn't there any chance of those two getting together,' Chadapa asked, 'or am I the only one who sees how much they need someone?'

'If they spent a night together,' Tiny chipped in, concerned for his friends, 'and nothing happened, it never will. I guess they really do just have a very close friendship.'

He'd always hoped, somewhere along the line, that spark necessary for temptation would flare. To the best of his ability, he couldn't see a sign of attraction. At one point, the lack of casual touch between Kallan and Dylan intrigued him. Until he realised Dylan self-restraint and reserved nature didn't invite familiarity, with anyone. Often his body language consisted of crossed arms and legs, almost as if he protected himself from hurt. Tiny began to look at the friendship in a whole new light. He knew Kallan to be strong, determined and able to get her way with her winning personality. While she often flirted exclusively with Dylan, Cadet James didn't actually display any partiality towards him.

_Been there_, Tiny reminisced, _watching a girl I thought would never care for me. Kallan's so head strong, if she wanted Dylan, she would have had him by now. I never thought it'd be Kallan who'd not interested. Funny, but I don't think anyone else sees it that way._


	3. Finding Time

'Why the long face,' Commander Marc Beyda asked with a shrewd smile. Standing in a standard academy room, his eldest sons' body language demonstrated frustration and annoyance. Louise had been at him to call Dylan for a week. From what he could see, her usual assessment of the situation had been correct.

'He's not getting any time alone with Kallan,' his half Japanese Wife allowed her eyebrow to arch suggestively fifteen minutes earlier. 'This year, not only is our son separated from his partner by the different streams they've chosen to study, but Dylan has a very interesting roommate.'

'What,' Marc placed a butt cheek on the kitchen counter in their new house, crossing his arms over his chest in a display reminiscent of his son, 'do you expect me to do about that?'

'Talk to Dylan,' she advocated, 'maybe tell him about the difficulty you and I had keeping our relationship low key. You must remember the times we found it hard to be together. Nothing's changed in the past twenty years as far as the academy goes.'

'Yet,' Marc moved suddenly to pull Louise into his arms, 'we managed to find the opportunity create our son in my final year.'

'That,' she smiled, hands cupping the side of his face, 'is exactly what I'm talking about.'

'I hope not,' a rare humours smile lit the commander's face, 'I'm not ready for grandchildren. Besides, it wouldn't fit with Dylan or Kallan's goals.'

Bringing his head down to her level, Louise looked into her husband's hazel eyes. 'I spoke to Kallan,' liquid chocolate orbs reassured with the quiet words, 'and there is no chance of that happening anytime soon.'

'She's a smart girl,' Marc commented, 'and they both have a long way to go.'

'Exactly,' Louise distracted him, closing the gap and allowing a whole hearted kiss. 'Now if I suddenly stopped that, how much time would you waste on thinking about how you could re-establish conjugational relations instead of your work?'

She didn't need to say more. Proving her point, as usual, eloquently, Marc Beyda found himself in front of the tri-D, with a very unhappy son before him. Trying to hide his mirth, Marc noticed Dylan shuffle form foot to foot. The young man had no intention of telling his father he wasn't getting any.

'Hey hotshot,' Kallan timed her entry to Dylan's quarters, in her mind at least, perfectly. The corridor empty, Leo disappeared into the men's communal showers leaving Cadet James a free path to her intended destination. Now standing inside the door, she locked it before flying into her lover's arms. 'I estimate we have about fifteen minutes.'

Unable to answer, Dylan found his lips busy trying to fend off Kallan's determined advances. Hearing his father's laughter suddenly cut off, he gave in. It'd been a week since they'd sat in Virgil Park and more than a month since they'd been intimate. An infrequent but exceptionally contented smile covered Dylan's face as he managed to get some space between them. His father gone, he could finally do what he'd wanted to from the moment he'd landed back at the academy.

'Fifteen,' he punctuated each word with a kiss on newly exposed skin, 'minutes…won't…be…nearly…enough...time…for…what…I… want…to…do…with…you!'

'I wanted this to be slow,' Kallan teased, her hands working magic on Dylan's buttons and zippers, 'but I'll take what I can get after not getting anything.'

'Me too,' he lamented, kneeling before her. Lips now on Kallan's bare stomach, he started laying gentle butterfly kisses. Dylan promised, 'next time it'll be different.'

Kallan's head rolled back as she enjoyed the magical sensations. Working his way back up, Dylan's clever lips closed around one nipple and she finally noticed the lit tri-D screen. 'Who,' she panted, realising it really didn't matter. They'd gotten the picture and decided to leave the young lovers to it. Still it intrigued her.

'Dad,' Dylan muttered as he moved on to her left breast. Fumbling fingers got her clothing past Kallan's waist to pool at her feet.

Deciding the discussion could wait until later, Kallan's hands continued to strip the man in her arms. It didn't take long for both of them to end up naked. Walking her backwards, Dylan used the edge of his cot to crash land them on a horizontal surface. In a gale of relieved laughter, green eyes met brown. One look and the lust built, instantly their need for each other exploded. Growling, Dylan took Kallan's mouth in a searing kiss, his body moving to join them. Their passion lit like a stick of gelignite in desperation, it burnt out just a quickly.

'I'm glad we're so fit,' Kallan winked, pushing Dylan aside. Still breathing hard, they quickly cleaned up and redressed. 'I'd say we have a few minutes before Leo gets back from the bathroom.'

'I know you said we'd find a way,' Dylan managed. Astounded at her audacity, his hands pointed out what his mind couldn't find the word to communicate.

'Are you trying to tell me I took advantage of you,' Kallan teased with a wink.

'Feel free,' he replied, his dry sense of humour finally making an appearance, 'to take advantage of me any time you like. Next time, it'd be nice to know you're coming.' Realising the unintentional double meaning, he continued with slightly reddened cheeks. 'Oh, and let me say good bye to my parents first.'

Embarrassed, Kallan's cheeks turned a similar shade of bright red. 'That was your Dad on the tri-D,' she whispered. By the time she managed to work though her unease to find humour in the situation, Dylan had reconnected to San Francisco.

'Well,' Commander Marc Beyda goaded with a smirk, 'I believe the little problem we didn't get time to discuss has been resolved.'

'So it would seem, Sir,' Kallan couldn't help the chuckle that escaped while Dylan grinned at her side. He'd taken the opening to place an arm around his friends shoulder, knowing she'd be comfortable enough with the gesture in front of his family.

'My son would never complain about the lack of **_entertainment_**, I believe you're calling it now,' Marc smiled, 'since returning to the academy. However Louise believes you might be experiencing some of the difficulties we encountered. I no longer think that will be a problem with an ingenious best friend able and willing to take any opening.'

'No,' Dylan managed, hiding his delighted expression.

'I'm glad you're there Kallan,' Louise entered the picture. 'Dorathea is turning sixty five next month and the Commodore has arranged for both of you to be picked up on Friday evening after class. I'll send the dates so you can apply for a weekend leave.'

'Mrs Beyda,' Kallan glanced at the door way which hissed open. Shrugging out from under Dylan's arm, she stood rigidly beside her friend. Any hint of impropriety vanished. The sudden change in body language gave away the entry of another person into the room.

'I understand, Cadet James,' Commander Marc Beyda, still in formal dress uniform turned on his very best officer tone, 'this might be seen as highly irregular however it has been arranged and you will comply.'

The young man Louise mentioned, Dylan's roommate for the next year, entered the visual range of the tri-D. The Commander took an instant dislike to him. After years of dealing with newly graduated service personal and junior officers in the IRO, something in the Cadets carriage and deportment made Marc Beyda cautious.

'You can blame me,' Louise stated, pricking up her husband's dislike. Evaluating the situation and understanding Kallan's unease, she decided to play the overprotective mother, 'for using my husband's position to effect this.'

'Haha,' Dylan rebuked. He knew the lengths his mother could go to achieve her aim.

'English, Dylan,' Louise failed to keep the twinkle from her dark eyes while maintaining a frown on her face.

'What language are you speaking?' Kallan's gaze arrowed to the man at her side. Even after a year and the relationship between them, there were still things they didn't know about each other. In the background, Leo watched on, fascinated at the intriguing exchange.

'Japanese,' Dylan answered, 'we lived with my mother's parents in Japan until Dad posted to Arcology when I turned seven. Grandmother insisted we speak English in the house while Sufo wanted to keep his Japanese heritage alive through, at the time, his only grandson.'

'Oh,' she commented, realising Dylan's love of martial art stemmed from his grandfather's attention as a child. Kallan suddenly turned back to the tri-D, understanding she should have gone long before Leo returned. Saluting to the superior officer, she prepared to leave the room. 'Thank you for the opportunity, Commander.'

'Just a minute young lady,' Louise intonated with her best stern mother voice. 'Everyone is bringing a companion, including Dylan's younger brother, Danny. I shuddered at the thought of the woman my eldest son consorted with over the holidays. I'd much rather Dylan be accompanied by someone suitable and well behaved from the academy. Besides, The Commodore has asked for your presence, personally. There will be relatives from your homeland who speak Gaelic. You fit the bill nicely and you can keep my mother-in-laws relatives amused. I promise you'll be well chaperoned.'

'Mom,' Dylan warned, looking to Kallan to gage her reaction.

He didn't quite understand the tight smile around her mouth. The dazed expression communicated her awe at his mother's ability to manipulate a situation to her own end. The barely perceptible softening in Dylan's gaze informing Cadet James he'd been aware of her methods, experiencing them countless time in the past.

'Yes,' she looked her son up and down. Louise's eyes made the calculated move to the Italian cadet standing in the background. 'Hello Leonardo,' she offered a polite nod of her head, 'thank you for passing on my message.'

'What do you think,' Louise challenged the speechless individual, 'is it right for a mother to choose her son's date when he can't select appropriate companions for himself and The Commodore asks for a particular cadets presence personally.'

Stunned, Leo wisely chose to say 'if you'll excuse me.'

'You do realise,' Dylan rebuked his mother as the door closed on the rapidly retreating cadet, 'he's going to tell everyone.'

'What,' Louise asked innocently, 'that your grandfather is pulling strings, forcing your best friend to spend time in Hawaii with you because your mother's not fond of the women you chose to date and would prefer a suitable young cadet who challenges you in every respect. How can that affect either of you, when it's the impression you've been cultivating for the last year.'

'She's got you there, Hotshot,' Kallan winked, preparing to leave. She needed to play the part of reluctant side kick once everyone became aware of their plans. 'I'll see you soon Mr and Mrs Beyda.'

'Louise and Marc, Kallan,' The Commander rebuked.

'We'll be doing the obligatory Friday night dinner so bring a dress this time Kallan,' Louise reminded with a laughed, happy she'd manipulated the situation to her liking, 'unless you want me to stock some clothes in Dylan's closet for you. I've never had a child to dress in pretty things and I've just found a new boutique with the latest fashions that would suit a young woman.'

'I thought,' Kallan fired back as she exited the room, 'Danny and Dylan would look good in pink frills. Maybe you could find a matching outfit for me!'

'So,' Louise questioned her son, 'are you angry with me?'

'No,' Dylan sighed.

'I'd say the boy's relieved,' Marc took the obvious dig at his son. 'Life with that girl will keep you on your toes.'

_Tell me about it_, Dylan's mind supplied.

'Do,' Kate grinned mischievously, 'I even need to ask where you've been?'

'Probably not,' Kallan's sour expression said enough. It'd taken her twenty minutes to transverse the corridor between Dylan's room and her own. Leo had made short work of informing the entire academy of the special attention payed to his roommate's best friend by The Commodore.

'Whatever you've heard,' Kallan continued sarcastically, 'as usual it's only a quarter truth with the rest made up as innuendo or what people considered the facts should be. Let me tell you, Dylan's mother is a conniving individual who puts her degree in clinical psychology to good use.'

'So tell me what really happened,' Kate took a seat at the desk, preparing to listen. It didn't take Kallan long to fill in the gaps. 'Sounds like,' Cadet Brown couldn't hold the mirth she'd managed to dam, 'you're been short listed for a potential daughter in law.'

'Did you know,' Kallan deliberately changed the subject, 'Dylan grew up in Japan. He's part Japanese.'

Unable to contain her hysterical laughter, Kate fell onto her bed. Finally getting her breath back, she snickered, 'why do think he's so short!'

Managing to get her own back, Kallan asked, 'are we talking about his height, or are you intimately acquainted with other parts of his anatomy no one else has managed to gain access too?'

'Height,' the words once again set Kate off. 'I'm sure you've heard the rumours about the **_size_** of Japanese men in bedroom department. So if Dylan's mother gets her way, someone might end up with a husband with very little **_entertainment_** to offer.'

'On that very interesting thought,' Kallan found her face colouring at the incorrect insinuation about size and what Dylan could do with it. She discovered they were as compatible there as every other aspect of their lives. 'I'm off for a shower before lights out. I just hope it doesn't give me nightmares about the veracity of my best friend.'


	4. Learning to Fly

'Ready,' Dylan asked, stepping out of the ground car.

Nodding Kallan took a deep breath and looked sideways toward her friend. He'd agreed to bring her here at some undefined point in the future. This morning Dylan Beyda made good on his promise. She'd be lying, if she didn't admit to butterflies in her stomach and a more than a passing apprehension. It had always been the same, every time she tried something new.

After breakfast, they headed for the vehicle garage and a secret location known only to Dylan. He couldn't hide the elation in his expression. Driving them away from Arcology, Cadet Beyda reached into the back of the car. Opening the bag, Kallan understood their destination. Under his watchful eye, she changed.

A chain of hill's separated the island's only habitation from their target. A five kilometre roadway wedged between the sea and the mountain chain led to the opposite end of Arcology Island. Finally arriving she got out of the car and scrutinised her surroundings.

'I'm as ready,' she answered the question belatedly, 'as I'm ever going to be.'

'Hey,' grabbing her hand, Cadet Beyda demonstrated a rare smile, 'remember, I got back into one of these after crashing. I thought getting into the cockpit for the first time difficult, take what you're feeling now and magnify it by a thousand.'

Green eyes wide, Kallan couldn't miss the twinkle. 'You really love flying that much,' she asked, astounded by the transformation in her best friends personality.

'Yes,' he gave a euphoric laugh. 'Come on. Let's get this show on the road. I can't wait to show you why. By the time I'm finished with you, you're going to be hooked.'

Tugging at her hand, Dylan led Kallan from the parking area towards the runway. Taking an electronic tag from his pocket, he headed for a small building. Inside the hanger sat an old white single prop aircraft.

'We're going up in that?' she managed, shocked tone.

'Safest training plane around,' Dylan teased. 'It's been in service since the turn of the century.'

'Looks like it,' Kallan fired back.

'Did you want to start on Super Stream jets?' he tormented. They both knew the consequences the last time Dylan attempted to fly one.

'It's only got one seat,' Kallan observed looking into the cockpit, sarcasm dripping from her words.

'That's a very astute observation, Cadet,' openly laughing at her, Dylan climbed in. Strapping in, he used a hand to pat his knee. 'Climb on board,' his tone dared.

Shaking her head, feeling this couldn't end well, Kallan obeyed. Pulling on her flight jacket, she gingerly lowered her weight onto Dylan. Before she could protest, his arms surrounded her. He'd used some kind of training attachment to strap her to his harness. Reaching forward, towards the dash, Cadet Beyda turned the key in the ignition. The blade at the front of the small aircraft kicked in. Sliding the plastic canopy closed dimmed the noise somewhat.

Before Kallan could protest, Dylan had the plane moving. Unprepared, she felt herself pushed into his body with the initial movement. This model had an old fashioned stick. Normally some quip would have come to the front of her mind. Apprehension failed her usual sense of humour. Nudging the craft forward, Dylan increased their forward speed to taxi onto the runway.

'Arcology Tower this is Zulu Whisky Alpha,' he fell into the old speak easily. 'I'm in position and request flight clearance for planed student flight zero one niner.'

'Rodger Zulu Whisky Alpha,' acknowledged a voice they both knew. Sharon Tate, completing her fourth year would soon enter a career in air traffic control. 'Plan received and logged. Traffics light, so you shouldn't encounter any obstacles. Show that girl of yours a good time, Dylan. You're good to go.'

'Roger that Tower,' he failed to hide the excitement within his body language. 'Zulu Whisky Alpha out.'

'Your girl?' Kallan questioned, momentarily speechless at Sharon's audacity.

Trying to contain his mirth and jockeying the aircraft into position, Dylan paused at the head of the runway. 'She means the plane,' he quipped.

Not giving Kallan a moment to take in that bit of information he pushed the stick forward. The prop whizzed, the engine revved but still they didn't move. When the sound reached a peak, he released the break. Surging forward, Kallan couldn't help her body moulding to Dylan's, the increased force intensifying their contact. Accelerating down the runway from this view, even though she experienced it a hundred times before in the sim, became a completely novel experience.

Exuberant as they continued to climb, Dylan forced Kallan's hand onto the control lever. Keeping his palm surrounding hers, he guided the little plane higher, keeping their airspeed up. Moving his feet, he made room for Kallan to take the foot rudders.

'Bank to the left,' he suggested in her ear, 'and you'll get a spectacular view.' As he'd expected, the sight forced a gasp. 'You can play in the sim, but nothing beats the real thing.'

Around them the hills diminished, allowing a glimpse of Arcology on the horizon. From this distance, Kallan understood the size of the construction standing so far above the ocean. In every direction lay clear blue sea. On the horizon, a distant blob marked The Bubualoo Island group.

'Seen enough,' Dylan teased a few minutes later, 'to try flying my girl.'

'This is your plane?' Kallan questioned, her sensibilities finally kicking in.

'Pop's,' he loosened his grip to give the woman between his legs more control, 'not that he gets to fly her much these days. Pop taught Dad and he taught me. Danny's started to learn.'

'Sharon obviously knows about your girl,' Kallan teased, 'how often do you get to fly?'

She didn't need to see his expression. Dylan laughed at her. 'How many times have I been missing long enough to make it all the way out here without you knowing?'

'I can tell you,' she returned, elation in her tone, 'you won't be again. I can see the attraction.'

'Told you,' he teased, 'I'd get you hooked.'

'I'm not sure if it's the flying,' Kallan's teasing humour returned, 'or my interesting position in the cockpit.'

'Kallan,' he growled as she moved ever so slightly. 'You might find yourself ejected if you're not careful.'

'Turns you on, ah,' she glanced over her shoulder. The look in his eyes said more than the ridged part creating a hump in her seat. 'Me too,' she whispered softly, 'I've imagined joining the mile high club.'

Dylan swallowed several times to get his head back in the right space. _Both of them_, he silently berated. He'd flown this plane a thousand times before. This particular flight had to be the most invigorating he'd managed yet. Considering the logistics of granting his best friends wish, Dylan knew they'd have to wait. When Kallan could concentrate and fly at the same time he'd be able to use his hand to control something else entirely.

'Maybe next time,' unable to hide his raging hormones and the physical display accompanying them, 'right now you need to take control. You've done more than straight flying in the simulator. Let's practice some touch and go landing and take offs. No one else is due to use the strip until this afternoon.'

'So we don't have to hurry back to the academy,' Kallan's smile doubled as her concentration and influence over the craft increased.

Boyed with certainty in her skills, Kallan sank into a groove. Allowing the hours of personal tutoring to take over, she began to relax into her first real flight. She didn't feel the moment Dylan's guiding hands fell away, or when he stopped scrutinising her every movement. Shear enjoyment, a sense of freedom she never experienced before surrounded her. How much of that she owed to Dylan's close quarters and gentle handling, she'd never know. One thing Kallan took away from her first experience, she'd always love flying, even more with her best friend at her side.

'Well,' Dylan asked.

The single word encompassed so much more as she climbed out of the small aircraft two hours later. Sensing Dylan trying to supress a glance at her backside, an imp inside accomplished the action with a slow tease. She felt stimulated by their activities and didn't mind letting Dylan know.

'How much time do we have,' she asked with a suggestive wink, 'before going back.'

Chuckling, he understood her sudden need. 'Enough,' Dylan answered. 'Now you understand why the flyboys have such a reputation. The adrenalin build up has to be used up when you're back on the ground. There's a place we could stop on the way back.'

'Not too far I hope,' Kallan returned, her gaze filled with the need to get closer, to share another experience with her best friend, 'after sitting in that cockpit for a couple of hours, feeling something amazing between my legs, I'm not sure how long I can hold out.'

'It'll be worth the wait,' Dylan promised, grabbing her hand and rushing them back to the air car.

'OK,' Kate couldn't keep a straight face when Kallan entered their room just before lunch, 'who is he and…no don't tell me what you've done, I'll get jealous.'

'Dylan,' fielding a look that said I should have guessed, Kallan continued over her roommates astonishment, 'finally took me flying. Turns out his grandfather keeps a training aircraft at the academy airfield.'

'Oh, of course he does,' Kate's smirk dripped with irony. 'Here I am thinking his mother had finally shown you the light, turning this friendship into something more. What else could it be but more work to keep you at the top of the class.'

'I did tell you,' managing to wipe the exuberance from her expression, Kallan's green eyes still sparkled, 'he promised to take me out in a real plane this year. I didn't expect it to be two weeks after starting at the academy.'

'Well,' Kate returned, 'if that look is anything to go by, you must have had a great time.'

Managing to hold off a blush, Kallan couldn't tell her roommate exactly how good a time. The flight had been fantastic, the mind blowing sex afterward the best they managed so far. 'I guess you could say that. For the first time in my life, I felt free. I can't wait to go up again. Dylan's says I'll be flying solo before I know it. He had to take her up, but after that it was my show. Kate, you have to try it.'

'I will,' she sobered, 'with the rest of the class next year. I bet you'll have enough logged hours for your unrestricted or maybe even commercial licence by then.'

'Maybe I could ask Dylan…'

'No,' Kate shook her head, 'I don't have the right to impose on your friendship or Dylan's good nature like that. Besides,' her natural good humour returned with a hint of a serious undertone, 'you bring something out in Dylan the rest of us can't. He's still closed and self-sufficient, even with you, Kallan, but it's different. It's like the trusts you and isn't afraid to show the occasional emotion. I guess that's why you're such good friends. I can't believe how competitive you are with each other and still stay companions.'

'Truth,' Cadet James felt she owed her roommate an explanation, 'we have the same goals and aspirations. It's easier to get there, bouncing ideas off someone like minded than battling them the entire way. This way, Dylan's strengths compensate for my weaknesses and I do the same for him. It makes staying at the top much easier. You're right, Dylan does trust me, but no more than I trust him.'

'It shows,' Kate commented, 'and it's easy to see why people believe you're in a relationship.'

'Being someone's friend,' Kallan's quick wit fired, 'isn't that a relationship.'

Rolling her eyes, Kate responded, 'not the kind I'm talking about and you know it. Sometimes I think the two of you deliberately lead people think you're oblivious when you're not really. What are you looking for in a man, Kallan, which Dylan doesn't have?'

Opened mouthed, Cadet James wide eyes demonstrated her surprise at Kate's assessment. 'What do you mean?'

'He's hansom by most people's standards, his family like you and are well connected to aid your career goals, Dylan would rather spend time with you than anyone else at the academy and yet,' shrugging her shoulders and struggling to get her point across, 'you don't see him as anything more than a friend. So what are you really looking for?'

'When,' Kallan asked slyly, 'do I get the chance to meet men, apart from those in the academy and form relationships?'

'Yet,' Kate managed, 'if rumour is to be believed, Dylan manages fine.'

'I'm sure he does,' Kallan smiled, 'but it's not the kind of thing he'd talk to me about, even if I am his best friend.'

Shaking her head as Kallan disappeared into the bathroom, Kate had to wonder. Could Kallan be that romantically inept? She seemed to tease and torment the young man enough, but Dylan took it easily, never returning the obvious flirting. _Maybe one day I'll figure the pair of them out_, she sighed, closed down her data pad and prepared to go to lunch, _but the thought of the two of them together is laughable. If it ever did happen, they'd be too busy arguing about the best way to do it and miss the opportunity completely._


	5. Trouble in Paradise

'Tell me about Japan,' Kallan asked, sitting beside her friend in the Commodores vehicle.

She'd been quite the entire journey back to Arcology. Sensing Dylan's worried expression, she cut off any queries about her state if mind. Cadet James features attempted to simulate a smile, looking interested in the answer to her evasive question. Frowning, Dylan recognised the distraction method. Kallan used it often, when she didn't want him to know the inner working of her mind. Choosing not to call her out, he answered slowly.

'It was Dad's first posting out of the academy,' his eyes watched her level of interest. 'Pop will never admit it, but I think he pulled some strings so Mum could be with her parents for my birth. Mum's an only child so it meant a lot to Sufo having his grandchild living with him. His family weren't happy when he married an English woman fifteen years younger than himself. My grandparents looked after me while Mum went back to university and completed her degree in psychology.'

'After two years,' he sighed, 'Dad volunteered for space duty. He couldn't take the family so we stayed in Japan. I remember both times he managed to get back to earth. I guess they allowed him a second tour at the IRO base in Mirua Island near Tokyo because he'd been away from us for so long.'

'When you turned seven,' Kallan's smile became genuine, 'you moved to Arcology until Danny's birth.'

Nodding agreement, Dylan explained, 'then back to Japan for a year. My grandmother passed away of cancer. Sufo followed her a few months later. Mum believes he died of a broken heart.'

'America and England,' Kallan found the effort to tease, 'you sure have travelled, Hotshot.'

'We did a year in Africa in between Japan and St Helens,' Dylan continued not allowing himself to be diverted by her use of his nickname. Trying to find a way to subtly turn the conversation to what bothered Kallan, he decided to just ask. She cut him off.

'I guess that will be our lives,' she hesitated, trying to locate the words to express her emotions, 'if something happens and we don't make it all the way to the Thunderbird team.'

'You don't join the IRO,' Dylan tried to work out where the sudden vulnerability came from, 'if you want to live your life in a single location. Kallan, what's happened? You're the strongest person I know. You keep your doubts ruthlessly locked away to follow your dreams. What's changed that?'

'Rooming with Kate this year,' hesitating, Cadet James speared her best friend with a confused expression, 'has made me realised how much extra you and I put in to achieve our goals.'

'Isn't that the reason we started this,' he tried to understand her logic, 'so we didn't have all those outside influences to cope with.'

'I know,' she sounded confused, lost almost. 'I still want to be the first female Thunderbird Captain. It just seems like we're missing out sometimes.'

'Do you want to start going to the parties?' Dylan couldn't hide the surprise from his voice.

'No,' Kallan's head whipped around to glare at her friend, 'that's not what I mean.'

'I don't think you're telling me the entire truth,' Dylan sighed. Physically she drew away from him as well as mentally. It didn't matter how he approached the subject now, he wouldn't get any more out of her until she became ready to tell him. 'What's really going through your head, Kallan?'

'I'm,' she glanced away, unable to understand the feeling of unease, 'I'm not sure.'

'When you work it out,' Dylan deliberately took her smaller palm into his, refusing to let her put too much distance between them, 'I'll be here to listen.'

Back at the academy, he'd said goodbye to Kallan when they entered the living quarter's hallway. Shock flickered in her eyes before she got the emotion under control. Usually Dylan escorted Kallan to her room, whether or not she wanted him too. He'd set a precedent on their first night back this year and refused to change his behaviour. Returning to his own accommodation, Cadet Beyda immediately turned on the Tri-D.

'To what,' Dorathea raised an eyebrow, 'do I owe the pleasure when you left less than an hour ago.'

Not wanting to beat around the bush, Dylan drew himself into formal posture. 'Did,' he requested, 'anything happen at your party that I don't know about?'

Smiling, the older woman scrutinised the young man before her. 'I presume you mean in respect to Kallan?'

'Yes,' Dylan hissed. 'Something's occurred over the weekend that's made her question her ability to achieve her goals. Suddenly she wants to be like the other cadets because she thinks she's missing out on life.'

'I'm not aware of anything specific,' Dorathea became intrigued. 'I'll talk to the rest of the family and get back to you.'

'Thanks Nanna,' Dylan relaxed slightly.

'Whatever it is,' the older woman counselled, 'it'll work itself out with time. Just let Kallan know your there for her. When she's ready to talk about it, you'll be the only person she'll want to confide in. Trust me on this, Dylan, let her solve this one by herself. If you take away her sense of control, you'll make the problem worse.'

At breakfast the next morning, Kallan's tight smile seemed out of place to Dylan. Not that any of their friends noticed. Too busy teasing the pair of cadets about spending the weekend together in Hawaii and envisaging what they'd gotten up too, Kallan and Dylan agreed with all their good natured bantering. It soon stopped when they couldn't get a rise out of the pair.

'Come on,' Bruce tried one last time, 'there had to be some gossip about the party at least. I heard a lot of the IRO brass attended. Don't tell me you two didn't get to rub shoulders with some very important people.'

'You're worse than a room full of girls,' Valesh returned, glaring down the table towards the Australian. 'It might have been your grandmother's party, Dylan, but it sounds like more of a chore than a good time to me.'

'Especially,' Kallan chimed in with a frown, 'when you're talking Gaelic all night.'

'Dad advised you,' Dylan managed to keep a straight face while warning bells began to sound in the back of his mind, 'you're translation skills were the main reason for getting invited. Besides I got stuck with the Japanese contingent.'

'According to Leo,' Luc added in a sly tone, 'your mother approved of Kallan as your date.'

'I managed,' Kallan rose with her almost untouched meal tray, 'to have my feet stepped on by every one of Dylan's male relations over the night. This is the one and only time I wouldn't have minded dancing with my friend, or even getting to spend five minutes alone. You,' she winked at the man sitting beside her, 'didn't lack for female company all night.'

'Bet your mom,' Chadapa chuckled, 'didn't expect that.'

Taking the good natured bantering in his stride, Dylan didn't get the chance to follow Kallan as she left the mess hall. Twice a week the entire class continued studying Federation Law and Politics. Together with Rescue Techniques, the two units formed the core of second year program, bringing the entire sophomore year together once a day.

As the week progressed, Kallan became more distracted and distant. Rushing into class, she'd take her seat between Dylan and Tiny. At the end of the lectures, Kallan hurried away without a word. Tuesday she lined up for her lunch, choosing a sandwich, she left with a wave in the general direction of her friends. Quiet at evening meal, Dylan shrugged his shoulders when the rest of the table turned their questioning gaze on him.

'Are you OK, Kallan,' Ryoko asked. She'd deliberately switched seats with Tiny to corner her previous roommate.

'Heavy study load this week,' she managed a genuine smile and sarcastic tone, 'after taking the weekend off to enjoy myself.'

'I heard that new instructor is a killer,' Tiny chipped in.

'Whatever you've heard,' Kallan frowned knowing exactly who the African cadet meant, 'double it and you still don't come close. It's hard to avoid his notice in a class of six when you spend between two and four hours a day in the courses he teaches.'

'That's what happens,' Valesh shook his head, 'when you choose a sub-speciality like oceanography. Not only is there few cadets but even fewer instructors so you likely to get the same ones for multiple subjects.'

'Which instructor,' Dylan asked, 'are you talking about?'

'That American,' Luc wrinkled up his nose, 'Gerry…'

'Gary,' Ryoko corrected, 'Lt. Commander Gary Frank. He's here for the rest of the semester. The usual teacher's been on emergency leave for a few weeks now.'

The alarm bells rang again in Dylan's head. He'd heard of the individual before but couldn't recall if his father or grandfather knew him. Suspecting the latter because he taught Kallan's oceanology classes, the cadet intended to find out more through his family connections.

Wednesday Kallan skipped morning mess hall and grabbed something on the go for lunch. Going to her room after class, Kate seemed surprised to see Dylan. She's thought the two of them together. Suspecting a deeper issue, Kate promised to keep Dylan in the loop if she uncovered a problem.

Picking at her food Wednesday evening, Kallan barely said a word. The pattern repeated itself Thursday and Friday, only she chose to sit alone at a table in the far corner of the large room. Every time Dylan attempted to approach her, Kallan became her slippery best and managed to avoid him without causing a scene or making the lack of contact seem contrived.

'Something happen,' Luc finally managed the courage to ask Friday evening, 'between you and Kallan?'

While Dylan sat in his normal chair, the conspicuous absence beside him spoke volumes. Most noticed the change a day or so after their now infamous return from Hawaii, wondering what caused the obvious split in the friendship. Choosing to sit away from her closest friends signalled Kallan's issues to be deeper than a distancing herself from Dylan.

'No,' the terse reply told him to leave it alone. Spoon in one hand and a bowl in cooling Stew before him, Dylan didn't even bother to look up.

'Why don't you go and talk to her about it?' Tiny asked, glancing to the table with a lone occupant. 'If anyone can find out what going on, it'd be you.'

'Tried,' Dylan managed. Throwing his spoon into a half-finished bowl, at a loss to explain Kallan's actions or his emotional response, he demanded of the African cadet, 'why don't you go and try. You'll probably get the same brush off I get every time I approach her.'

'Know what you're problem is,' Luc's serious tone finally made Dylan look up, 'I'm not sure you even realise Kallan's a girl.'

Taking instant offence, Dylan stood abruptly, calling attention to his unusual behaviour. In that moment of silence which descended on the entire mess, he almost shouted at Luc. 'Why is it no one thinks I see Kallan as a woman?'

'Because,' Luc answered back aggressively, 'you never treat her as one.'

'I've got eyes in my head,' Dylan growled, 'just like you. That doesn't mean I hit on…' Before he gave away their secret, Dylan clamped his mouth shut. Glancing to Kallan's isolated figure, her green eyes met his for an instant. Shocked at his behaviour, Dylan turned and marched out.

Muttering something that sounded decidedly rude under his breath, the senior cadet caught up to his infuriated friend. Placing a hand on Dylan's shoulder, he spun him around. 'Not your best performance,' Bill shook his head with a disappointed expression. 'You might as well have told everyone you're sleeping together. They'll assume it anyway, after that little display of temper.'

'It's no one's business,' Dylan's eyes flared with anger, 'if we are or aren't.'

'I'm your friend,' Bill reminded, his gaze shocked, understanding Dylan affirmed the relationship with his out of character reaction. 'I didn't come for a confession or a conformation. I'm concerned. The person I saw in there isn't you.'

Nodding his understanding, Dylan crossed his arms over his chest. 'Believe me,' he sighed heavily, 'if Kallan ever talks to me again, she'll make me pay for that outburst.'

'Women,' Bill rolled his eyes. Trying for an understanding tone, Cadet Watson continued, 'What Luc meant, your bond with Kallan stops you from seeing her as emotional. Just because you don't openly display you're feelings and keep them bottled up inside, dealing with them alone, doesn't mean other people react the same way. The dynamic you share, it's based on mutual need, and anyone in their right mind can see that. Your relationship works because you're so different and yet share the same goals and morality.'

'Dylan, I'm telling you this as a friend,' Bill attempted to use logic for a sensitive subject, 'and I've spent time with both of you. Your interaction appears devoid of any real emotion. Now Kallan's acting like a normal woman and you don't have the experience to deal with it. She needs a friend right now, even more as she pushes you away. In fact, Cadet James is crying out for help.'

'I've tried,' Dylan tone told his friend to leave it alone.

'Then try harder,' Bill advised. 'Don't let whatever's happening drive you away. Trust me I can imagine Daniele acting the same way.'

Dylan chose to skip both his morning swim and mess hall Saturday. Unwilling to face the repercussion caused by Friday night's scene, he worked out his mounting frustrations in the Dojo. Wondering aimlessly around Arcology, Cadet Beyda entered Virgil Park. Realising his mistake immediately, he noticed the amount of families enjoying the weekend together. It seemed to increase the loss of his best friend's company.

'Troubles,' Master Moran asked, finding his student back for another session on the mats. When Dylan didn't answer, he responded with, 'this is not the right way to work through your problems. It clouds your judgement and you lose focus. Find a quiet place, a peaceful location and meditate. Your energy balance needs renewal.'

'Yes, Master,' Dylan bowed, returning to the change rooms and his own thoughts.

The one place he'd always found balance, in the cockpit of his plane, had been tarnished by the flying lessons with Kallan. Deciding to return to his room at the academy, he needed to loose himself in study. Tomorrow, they had an honour roll jaunt to Bubualoo Island. He'd tackle Kallan and her problem then. Right now, Dylan Beyda needed to work through his feelings.


	6. Failure

'Kallan,' Dylan approached the table quietly in the hope she wouldn't slip away.

'What,' she muttered without looking up.

Hunched over an old fashioned book in the academy library, Dylan had never seen Kallan's body language so stiff. Today, when she didn't show up for dive trip to Bubualoo Island with the other Honour Role students, he'd become worried. Two hours later, after looking in all the obvious places, Cadet Beyda opened his actions to question. He went to Commander Sellheim and requested a recordable trace on her wrist com. Kate found it under her roommate's pillow. Obviously Kallan didn't want to be found.

'The Commander,' Dylan handed over the unit with only a little time to spare. Tobias allowed the cadet an unprecedented hour to find his friend before he up scaled the incident. 'He requested you wear this at all times. He said he'd overlook it this time but if it happens again, he'll personally put you on report.'

'Thanks,' Kallan let him drop it on the table, just out of her reach without glancing in Dylan's direction. She didn't make a move to preplace it on her wrist.

'Kallan,' he questioned, trying to take Bill's advice and be there for her emotionally.

A heavy sigh accompanied a hand reaching out to take the hardware. Continuing to pay attention to the page before her, Kallan strapped the instrument on. 'Happy,' she murmured.

_Not in the least_, Dylan's mind supplied, _but you obviously want to be alone. I'm not sure who's advice to follow, Bill's or Nanna's. Either way I feel like I'm losing my best friend_.

'Are you still here?' Kallan finally lifted her head, green eyes angry a few moments later. She could feel Dylan's confused stare.

'No,' Dylan answered, perplexed by the odd behaviour. Shaking his head, he walked off, wondering if he shouldn't have confronted Kallan as Bill suggested. Used to a woman dedicated to her goals, treating him as a friend, sharing the most intimate parts of her life and yet part of her long term agenda, this overtly emotional creature confused the young cadet.

After he'd gone, Cadet James put her head into her hands on the table and began to silently shake. The tears she'd been able to contain. Blurring her vision, she'd found her eyes staring at the same table of tidal figures for half an hour while her attention wondered.

_What you really wanted, _Kallan's mind supplied,_ you deliberately pushed away. One hint from you and it might have ended very differently. Dylan's learnt his lesson about personal contact while in academy uniform. He's playing to the rules you set. So why did you expect him to sit next to you, hold you in his arms and make you tell him what caused you to act this way where others could see. You can't have it both ways, keeping Dylan as your friend yet wringing emotional support from him when something goes wrong._

'Oh,' Kallan moaned softly, 'shut up.'

Believing she'd gone crazy, Cadet James rapidly closed her books, shut down her electronic equipment and returned the library property to the attendant. Realising her highly emotional state stopped her from doing anything constructive, Kallan considered a workout at the gym to decrease her stress levels. With the limited calorie intake over the last week, she knew that to be unwise. She simply didn't have the energy.

_I'll go_, she finally made up her mind, _where I always go and hope Dylan has the same idea. Maybe in Virgil Park, I'll be able to tell him the truth. Maybe saying it aloud I'll come closer to believing it._

It'd been a nice idea. When Kallan arrived, a young couple occupied the bench they usually sat on. In the middle of a gloriously warm Sunday, the pair had little intention of moving anytime soon. Without a destination in mind, she found herself at the west docks, sitting on the end of a pier. This place also held memories for her and Dylan. Unconsciously she sort out somewhere to be closer to her friend and lover.

She'd been able to cope with the thought of failure, until Dorathea's party. She'd been in denial until she met a knowing smile from a single individual sending shivers of apprehension down her spine. Kallan worried all the way back from Hawaii, fearing the fallout. Their friends making comments about rubbing shoulders with the IRO's most important officers hit home. In an instant, Kallan's goal oriented world collapsed. In the days since, her theories proved true.

'What am I going to do,' she considered aloud, safe in the knowledge few others visited the dock unless waiting for a transport, 'if I don't get through the academy. It would be so much worse,' considering the ramifications, 'finishing low enough in the class to miss out on Thunderbird training. I'd finish up assigned to some remote part of the world doing a job I'd loath.' _Either way,_ she continued silently, _I'd be devastated. Maybe I should just hand in my resignation now, go back to Ireland and study at Trinity with my brother and friends. By the time I graduate, I might have come to terms with the fact I'll never be what I really want._

By shear chance, or the universe working to create the opportunity, Dylan came to the same location half an hour earlier. He needed a demanding physical workout to calm his confused emotions. Treading water under the dock when he heard the footsteps approaching, it took the young woman dangling her bare feet in the water and the unique sound of Kallan's voice for Dylan to realise who sat about him. Her words struck at his heart strings. Desolation in every syllable, his mind worked furiously to place the conversation in context.

Suddenly it all made sense. Without considering the implications, he grabbed Kallan's legs and pulled her into the water. Letting out a terrified scream, Kallan plunged below the surface with the sudden and unexpected downward force. Waiting far enough away from the struggling woman, Dylan watched as she reappeared and stopped fighting the ocean surrounding her. Reaching out, he pulled her into his embrace.

'You going to tell me what happening,' he demanded in a terse tone keeping them both afloat, 'or do I need to use other methods to tease it out of you.'

'Let me go, Dylan,' Kallan demanded, both her tone and expressive eyes contradicted the sentiment.

'No,' he growled, pulling her towards the ladder. Pushing Kallan before him, Dylan didn't let her get more than a step in front. Once on the pier, he captured her body, bring it into his personal space. 'Tell me,' his voice and expression pleaded, 'I'm your best friend, your partner in everything when you let me be and you locking me out. Something is affecting everything you are and your relationships to everyone you know. I can't help unless you tell me the problem.'

'I'm failing two of my core units for oceanology,' Kallan confessed. Telling Dylan made her feel more vulnerable and exposed. Nodding his understanding, he encouraged her to continue with understanding shining through his warm brown eyes. 'I've put so much work into every assignment and tutorial, spent hours poring over old tidal texts but no matter how much effort I put into my work, it comes back with poor results. I honestly don't know what else I can do.'

'Then,' she breathed a sigh, finally relaxing into his arms, her head resting on his chest, 'at your Grandmother's party, the instructor gave me this stare. From across the room, it felt like he mocked me. Dylan, it has to be personal. I honestly think he's failing me because of my connection to your family. I can't stay at the top of the class, daring to be a Thunderbird captain if I fail those units.'

'Is anyone in the class passing,' he asked.

'I,' Kallan drew back to look Dylan in the eye, 'don't know. I haven't asked, but the disappointed looks on everyone faces, I'd say we're all in the same situation.'

Dylan kept his tone neutral, 'why do you think that is. Take the emotion of losing control out of the equation and think it though logically, Kallan.'

Never in a million years did Dylan considering telling Kallan he'd made discreet inquiries about Lt. Commander Gary Frank. Pop simply glared when he'd mentioned the name, which proved to be a whole conversation. Commodore Gilbert Beyda told his grandson not to be impertinent, meaning he trusted and respected the officer under his command. Dylan's father had been more effusive.

'The old devil at it again,' Marc smiled, 'Kallan's in for a ride then, but I'd be careful if I were you. With Gary as her teacher, she's liable to best you this year. I wouldn't put it past my father to have set this up. He's got a great deal of time for your partner and a vested interest in her future.'

Something hadn't added up in the young cadet's mind. Seeing Kallan in the library an hour ago, it still didn't click. Listening to her words, Dylan grasped the meaning behind his father's warning.

'We're being tested,' she comprehended. Calling Gary Frank several unmentionable names under her breath, Kallan's anger surfaced. 'He's deliberately driving the class with his bullying tactics to see how much we can take before it starts affecting us.'

'Question is,' Dylan's brown eyes twinkled with mischief. Taken back by the rare expression, Kallan found her mouth agape, 'what are you going to do about it.'

'You,' she accused, 'have an idea!'

'Several,' he teased easily. 'The question I keep asking myself, is why? Why would a line officer fail the entire class? What lesson are you supposed to earn from his tactics?'

'Tenacity,' Kallan guessed, 'persistence, the ability to stand up for yourself and the others in your class against insurmountable odds.'

'Let's go back to the academy and get out of these wet clothes,' Dylan suggesting. 'Then I'll treat you to a meal and we can discuss strategy.'

'After the way I've treated you this week,' Kallan managed to look embarrassed, 'I'm surprised you're still talking to me.'

'If you can live with the teasing from Friday night,' Dylan smirked, 'I'll call us even. I think I've given away our secret to Bill.'

'He'd be the only one,' she responded, pushing him away as her face split into a wide grin, 'do you have any idea what people are saying.' When he shook his head, she chuckled. It felt good to laugh with Dylan again, 'apparently, I flirt with you, Hotshot, but don't put out. No one understands why you bother, especially as I'm using your family connections to achieve my goals.'

'Sounds about right to me,' he responded with a delighted smile, 'but you can flirt with me any time you like.'

'Let's forget the food and go flying this afternoon,' she hinted, 'I could use some personal tuition.' Kallan's stomach chose that moment to rumble.

'Come on,' Dylan agreed as they hurried back to their quarters to change, 'you go via the mess and pick up some lunch while I sign out a car. We can eat on the way to the airfield.'

'I have an idea,' Kallan lay on the blanket she'd brought for their after flight activities.

They'd stopped at the little bay on the return journey form the academy airfield. It'd become a tradition to work off the adrenalin built up while flying. Today she'd managed the take-off and landing alone. Her instructor's hands wondered throughout the flight, testing her concentration. Playing with him, Cadet James decided the time had come to try some aerial acrobatics. Dylan laughed at her tactics, enjoying the challenged of keeping her stimulated while coping with the high g manoeuvrers.

'Going to tell me about it,' Dylan pulled her body against his. They'd hardly waited to spread the cover in the sand before he'd continued what he started in the limited space of the cockpit. Finally at peace with each other, they took the time to talk.

'I have an assignment due tomorrow morning,' she continued, taking her lover's hand and drawing circles on it. Considering each word carefully, Kallan felt reconnected to Dylan. 'I though the theme board enough to incorporate academic bullying.'

That got a chuckle. 'I'd say,' Dylan managed to hold his mirth, 'that's exactly what your instructor is aiming for. Why don't you get the others in the class to do the same?'

Sighing heavily as she considered the idea, Kallan stated mournfully, 'we'll have to leave now.'

'No swimming,' Dylan fired back, disappointed.

Snorting, she returned, 'what we usually do can't be called swimming.'

'Cadet James,' Lt Commander Frank called her up to the front of the small class the next morning. He'd been aware of the change in atmosphere the moment the six students entered his classroom. 'Do you have something to say?'

'No, Sir,' Kallan commented, a slight smile playing about her lips.

'I do,' Yeshe, a student from Tibet and normally the quietest in the class due to her Buddhist beliefs, surprised the instructor by answering. 'I practice a spiritual conviction which dispenses with appeals to justice and fairness, precisely because it may be open to interpretation and dependent on position. If an individual claims access to a higher truth, that person claims the power and the right to decide for others.'

'Are you attempting to accuse me of something?' Commander Frank found his eye's watching Kallan James.

Surely she had to be the ringleader. In his estimation the young Cadet had the skills and personality to make the class stand together against his deliberatly unfair treatment. He'd been surprised at the identity of spokesperson which only enhanced his belief in her ability to become a leader amongst her peers.

'The illusion of choice is an indication of a lack of freedom,' Yeshe raised an eyebrow. 'We chose, as a class, not to do the assignment you set, thereby returning our freedom.'

'I see,' the instructor kept the internal smile from his face. 'What have you learnt from this disobedience?'

'We do not see this as disobedience,' Yeshe responded, 'but an opportunity to express our gratitude for a lesson learnt. So we thank you for allowing us to become a cohesive group and drawing strength to stand together. As a class, we have decided not to participate in further futile projects that lead us to negative emotions when none of us can meet your expectations.'

'Life,' Gary Frank commented understanding the young woman's philosophy 'isn't always fair.'

'One hundred precent of the class failing,' Glen McDonald mocked, 'has nothing to do with fair. It has never happened in the history of the academy. My guess, it might say more about the quality of the instructor than the ability of the students.'

'Sit down,' the Commander suggested a slight grin on his lips, 'we have a lot of material to cover. From now on your work will be assessed as a group. When you're dealing with the ocean, you'll find she is an unreasonable and unforgiving mistress. I hope you've learnt you lesson about co-operation. Working with your teammates often proves the difference between life and death in ocean rescues.'


	7. View from a different Window

'Well?' Dylan asked, joining his friend as they scurried to their only class together for the day. He wanted to know how her oceanology lecture turned out after their planning last night.

'Mission accomplished,' Kallan returned with a wide grin. 'You should have seen Yeshe. She stayed so calm while she stated the class's ultimatum but Lt Commander Frank knew who'd planed the revolt. He kept looking towards me, expecting something more. I gather he'd been waiting for a meltdown, even attempting to goad me into approaching him at Dorathea's party.'

'Then,' Dylan managed, 'he didn't take the time to get to know you very well.'

'I'd never embarrass your family like that,' Kallan gave her friend a serious gaze before winking, 'just take it out on my best friend. Anyway the atmosphere has changed now we're working together. I'm not sure how he's going to grade us because as it stands, we're all failing.'

'You weren't the only one,' Dylan asked, 'thinking about flunking out.'

'We all felt the same way, but became too demoralised to talk to each other about it,' Kallan stated.

'Did your instructor say that's been his plan all along?' Dylan questioned.

'Not in so many words,' Kallan smiled. Turning her friend, she placed a hand on his forearm, bringing her body closer to his. Waiting with expectation at the unusual physical contact, Dylan understood her next would be an apology. 'Promise you won't let me push you away like that again.'

'So,' Luc watched the pair, heads close as they shared a moment, 'are you two friends again?'

'What gave you the idea we weren't?' Kallan questioned with a cheeky grin. She didn't need Dylan's verbal guarantee, the look in his eyes enough to say he'd learnt a valuable lesson from this incident too. It strengthened their bond in ways neither of them appreciated before. 'Sometimes a girl needs the time and space to figure things out. By the way,' she turned the teasing back on the French student, 'it'd be hard for anyone at the academy not to notice I'm a woman. These,' she indicated her chest, 'kind of give it away, but thanks for pointing it out to the entire student body.'

'Give the guy a break, Kallan,' Bruce threw in with a wicked smile. He'd been astounded at the sudden turnaround in Kallan's behaviour, especially towards Dylan. 'I'd forgive him after all I've seen bigger ones on a plank of wood.'

'Thank you,' Kallan gave him a withering look.

'With all your experience,' Dylan managed a quirk of his lips, 'I guess you'd be the resident expert on that part of a woman's anatomy.'

Not willing to be bested, the Australian offered, 'I can tell a woman's bra size from twenty metres away.'

'We get it,' Luc glared, 'you're a breast man.'

'And everything else,' Chadapa muttered as he joined them.

'Any time you feel the need to find out,' Bruce shrugged, 'I'll be here to help. Just show me the goodies and I'll measure them by sight!'

'Thanks for the offer,' Dylan quipped, 'but I know what I like.'

Rising to the bait, Bruce arched an eyebrow and suggested, 'not a lot from what I hear.'

'You don't hear,' Dylan fired back, 'because I'm not the type to allow my exploits into the public domain. Women actually appreciate someone with discretion.'

'It's the quiet one's' Kallan laughed, 'you have to watch. While their not saying anything, they're actually doing something. Even I've got enough experience to know that. Sometimes, I wonder how much of your talk is bravado, Bruce.'

'Meet you in your room after class,' he suggested with a wink, 'and you can find out for yourself.'

'Thanks,' Kallan mocked, separating from the boys to tell Kate about her oceanology class before this one started, 'but my schedules full. I have a date tonight. Oh,' she winked, 'and I'm kind of selective with who gets to touch and see my womanly attributes.'

'Is,' Luc swallowed hard, watching Kallan catch up with her roommate. He thought she deliberately swung her hips provocatively. It didn't fit with his image of her. 'Is Kallan seeing someone?'

'Dylan?' Bruce asked, taking his usual seat with an intrigued glance at the only person who'd know.

'There's a new guy in her gym class,' he told the truth, shrugging his shoulders in a _it's anyone's guess where Kallan's concerned_. 'She's mentioned his name a couple of times.'

'Is that what this, this tantrums been about,' Valesh gave a disgusted look, 'Kallan pining over some guy because she went to Hawaii with you!'

'Tell me,' Tiny broke in as Dylan took is chair beside the massive African, 'would that girl know what to do with a man if she caught one. She's got you wrapped around her finger. You've never offered to take any of us flying or off to Hawaii to meet the Commodore. Most of us dance to her tune the moment she bats her eyelashes or turns on that smile but does she appreciate it?'

'What about Ryoko?' Bruce spluttered clearly wondering if his friend settled for second best. The expression on Luc's face could kill.

Giving a hearty chuckle, Tiny informed the Australian, 'last year one of the instructors mistook Kallan and I for a couple. She didn't react to the taunt with more than a smile of amusement and a wink at the joke. Friday night, any other girl would have given you two hell talking about her like that.' Tiny eyed Dylan and Luc. 'It sure sounded like you admitted to something Cadet Beyda, before you stormed out.'

'Did he,' Kallan managed to hold her laughter as she slipped into her seat. 'Got something to say to me, Dylan?'

A snorting sound came from the bench in front. Kate turned to the group and asked in a sarcastic tone 'so they say anything about the makeup sex yet?'

'What do you know?' asked an intrigued Bruce while the rest of their friends held their collective breath.

'If they ever stopped talking about the next step in their never ending quest to be Thunderbird Captains, neither of them might be so oblivious to the rest of the world. There's not a hope of the two of them ever being anything more than friends,' Kate's remark dipping with irony, 'cause they never stop working or discussing how to stay at the top of the class. Just ask Ryoko, she lived with Kallan last year.'

Kallan gave Dylan a sideways glance. 'That's not entirely true,' she stammered.

'No,' Kate teased, 'which part, the working a million hours each week or what to do with someone of the male gender if you had him naked in front of you.'

'I wish the pair of you would just get it together,' the Japanese cadet rolled her expressive eyes, 'and then we could all stop wondering. You both talk about dating but I've never seen either of you with someone else. I know you said discrete Dylan, but it makes me wonder.'

Using the current gossip to her advantage, Kallan looked Dylan up and down in a purely sexual way. 'No, definitely not my type,' she reported shrugging her shoulders, 'wrong attributes.'

'Thanks,' Dylan returned, colouring at his friends antics. 'I've never been fond of the women my mother picks out for me either.'

'Let me guess,' Kate chimed in as their lecture finally arrived, 'too much of a trial for you. I've met so many guys who want cerebrally ineffective blonds cause it's not their minds their after. Sorry, Kallan, you might be blond but in the intelligence department, you're too much of a challenge for most men.'

'You're really going out tonight?' Kate asked, watching Kallan slip an almost backless green and white dress over her head. She'd never seen her roommate in anything other than academy uniform. The change came as a startling contrast to the woman she'd come to know over the last two months.

'Yes,' Cadet James smiled. Adding the barest hint of makeup to her face, she considered herself presentable for tonight's company. 'I've been looking forward to this since fixing the issue with Lt Commander Frank.'

'I don't understand why you didn't tell someone,' Kate stated, incredulation in her tone. 'Dylan's your best friend and you didn't trust him enough.'

'I couldn't,' Kallan confessed, 'because of the bond we share. I can tell by your expression you don't understand.'

'Dam right,' Kate's blue eye flared with anger, 'that guy came looking for you. He put his reputation on the line, going to Commander Sellheim to put a trace on your com unit. You didn't see how much your abandonment cost him.'

'Dylan's been with me for the entire journey,' Kallan's gaze speared the girl. 'I distanced myself from everyone because I didn't know how to cope with failure and I didn't want to bring Dylan down with me. Even if I don't reach my goal, I want Dylan to reach his.'

'I don't think I'll every understand you,' Kate moaned, 'Dylan or the bond you share. Anyway, that dress suits you. I hope the guy you're going to meet appreciates the effort you're going too,' she commented. Curious, Cadet Brown stood and checked the tag. 'This must have set you back a small fortune, its designer label.'

'Wouldn't know,' Kallan tried not to blush, 'someone brought it for me when I didn't have anything suitable to wear to dinner.'

'You're not getting away with that,' Kate turned the cadet around to scrutinise her expression. 'There's a story and I want to hear it. No man buys a girl a dress like that without wanting something in return.'

'Who said,' Kallan teased as she exited the room, 'a man brought it for me?'

Speechless, Kate's mind began to catalogue several conversations over their eight week association. _What are you looking for in a man, Kallan, which Dylan doesn't have?_ She'd asked after a radiant young woman returned from her first flying lesion. Tapping out a number on her wrist com, she gave Kallan a thirty seconds head start before following. _Curiosity_, Kate realised, _killed the cat and Kallan will kill me if she finds out what I'm about to do. After her assessment of Dylan in front of us and her comments, I can't help wonder..._

'Ryoko,' Kate all but whispered, as the cadet she wanted answered. 'I need to ask you something. It's about Kallan and her behaviour last year. Can you meet me at the academy entry in three minutes?'

Unaware she'd been followed Kallan looked around the wide concourse. Spying the moderately upmarket restaurant, the woman she'd come to meet approached the door from the other direction. A delighted expression on the Cadets face, she took the half Japanese woman into a tight hug. Pulling away, Louise Beyda refused to let go completely. Keeping hold of Kallan's elbows, she looked the younger woman over.

'I got a strange call from Dorathea last week,' Louise allowed an eyebrow to rise. 'It seems my son has been worried about you. Care to tell me about it?'

'It's got nothing to do with last year,' Kallan grinned, 'but visits with your family seem to cause problems.'

'I hope not,' linking arms, they walked into the restaurant together, 'because my husband has plans to take you and Dylan with him on a tour of Rosen Dante over the holiday. You'll both have to qualify for EVA before you go, so expect another trip to Hawaii this semester for training. You'll find it tough, to meet the criteria in a single weekend.'

'Table for two,' the human waiter asked.

'Four,' Louise answered easily, 'the men will be joining us in half an hour. The booking's under Beyda.'

'Can I get you anything to drink while you wait?' he asked, seating the woman.

'Two sunrises,' Louise requested. Dismissing the man she returned to her companion. 'Their mocktails, Kallan,' rebuking she demanded, 'now tell me about Gary Frank and how he's been treating you and the rest of the class. I'll bet you've overcome his cohesion test.'

'Well,' Ryoko hesitated. Standing across the street several shops down, the pair peered in the window. 'I guess she's half Japanese. Kallan obviously knows her well by the warmth of the greeting. It's hard to tell, but I'd say she's maybe ten years older than us.'

'Did you have any idea?' Kate asked astounded as the woman reached across the table, offering Kallan her hand in a comforting gesture. An elated smile crossed the younger woman's face before they broke apart when they're drinks arrived.

'No,' Ryoko managed, 'but it sure explains the friendship between Dylan and Kallan if she's trying to hide her sexuality.'

'She said,' Kate shook her head, 'he's not her type, that he doesn't have the right attributes just this afternoon. Come on, we'd better get back. I don't think anyone else at the academy needs to know about this.'

'I'm not even going to tell Tiny,' Ryoko promised wondering how she could possibly keep the secret from her lover.

Walking back to the academy two hours later, Kallan repeated her conversation about her dress to Dylan. She found the whole incident amusing. Kallan looked up at her friend with questioning eyes when he failed to see the humour in the situation. Her mirth stopped the moment Cadet James realised Dylan picked up on something she'd missed.

'Think back to this afternoon,' Dylan suggested when wide green eyes questioned him.

Finally remembering her comments, Kallan's cheeks coloured. 'I didn't consider that,' she commented, 'I didn't want to tell Kate your mother brought the dress for me. It'd start a conversation I'm not willing to go into.'

'So you assumed what?' he asked, lips quirking.

'I'm not sure,' Kallan shrugged letting out a sigh. 'Maybe she'd think my mother brought it in the hope of making me more feminine.

'The last time you wore that dress,' Dylan's eyes sparkled with the memory. She'd kept it on while sitting astride him. They'd been in his room after a long moonlit walk along the beach. 'I told what I thought of you in it. Seeing it again tonight, I haven't changed my opinion.' Stopping before crossing the plaza, he placed a palm on Kallan's bare back. A shiver of desire cursed through her nervous system. 'Want to try that again?'

'Where,' the sour look accompanied acrid words, 'Kate now thinks I'm a very happy woman with a girlfriend and you still have Leo as a roommate. That doesn't give us much opportunity, Hotshot.'

'Mom and dad have a routine when they come to Arcology,' Dylan informed, holding up a key to their apartment. He started them moving in the opposite direction to their quarters. 'Every time they come here, Dad insists on taking Mum back to the place they met. For them it's the same as our seat in Virgil Park. To the best of my knowledge, they went dancing there on the night they created Danny and me. So, we have about ninety minutes before curfew and another thirty before my parents return for the night. I can do a lot with you in that dress in ninety minutes.'


	8. Going EVA

'I can see you had a great time tonight,' Kate remarked as her roommate entered their quarters.

Not sure she really wanted to start this conversation Cadet Brown kept her cross legged position on her bed. The curfew warning chimes rang as her roommate headed for the tiny bathroom. Lights out would sound in three minutes giving Kallan enough time to change into her night clothes. Raking her gaze over the green and white gown, the crumbled skirt told its own story.

'Yes,' Kallan almost floated on air.

Revelling in the fact she could tell the truth Cadet James came to realise how good it might be to discuss her relationship more openly. Sharing the details with a close female friend appealed in a way it never had before. For a single moment Kallan missed her rapport with Clodagh and regrated not finding a female cadet to from a close, intimate bond. Allowing Kate to take her own meaning from the words, mentally she tempered all the small details. Teasing Kate her ultimate aim, Kallan didn't want lie. She did, however, feel the need for a little payback.

'I had a wonderful dinner in the presence of great company,' she enthused, unable to keep the delight out of her tone.

Watching Kate's slightly negative reaction closely, Kallan became distressed. Her roommate obviously didn't want to hear about the liaison with her preconceived ideas. It made Kate uncomfortable. Allowing a breath of disappointment past her lips, Cadet James elation at a wonderful night deflated.

'It's not what you think,' Kallan's sudden change of facial expression affected a new atmosphere.

'Oh,' that captured Kate's attention.

'I'm not dating anyone let alone a woman,' Kallan stated, picking up the t-shit she used to sleep in and continuing to the bathroom. Quickly changing for bed, she returned thirty seconds later, determined to put Kate's fears as rest. 'You've seen how hard I work to stay at the top, how many hours I put in. It's always been the same, even at high school. I don't have time to waste on romantic relationships. I decided in my first year to find someone who felt the same way.'

'Is,' Kate asked intrigued, 'that who you met tonight?'

'You mean is that who I had sex with,' Kallan managed a laugh at her roommates shocked expression. 'Don't look so shocked. The answer is yes. First I had to meet the councillor the academy appointed after an incident last year,' Kallan confessed.

'Cody Harrison,' Kate supplied. Like all the others at the academy she heard the rumours but nothing specific.

Nodding, Kallan opened her actions to another. 'His injuries left him with permanent short term memory loss. Before you say he deserved it, it stopped him being officially charged which infuriated me. He can't live independently or work so I'd say he's been punished enough. I'm the one who has to live with the fact I caused the injury. The doctor who treated me insisted I seek professional help. Because of the way I acted this last week, Louise stipulated we meet tonight to discuss my actions.'

'Why get dressed up?' Kate wanted to know.

A wide grin split Kallan's face, 'my **_entertainment_** may not have brought this dress for me, but he enjoys the way it displays my womanly attributes. It's amazing what a man's hands can do with so little material in the back.'

'I never saw you as the kind of person to use someone,' Kate couldn't keep the astounded tone from her words, 'for a purely physical relationship.'

'It started that way,' Kallan mirth died, 'but it's changed into something else.'

'You're in love with him?' Kate asked confused.

'No,' Kallan's smile shy and unsure, 'I care deeply for him, but I could drop the relationship in a heartbeat if I had to. Don't get me wrong, it's important to me, he's important to me, but it's a vehicle for both of us to get what we want. It gives both of us a release we wouldn't have otherwise and we both enjoy the intimacy. Believe it or not, it works for him too. We considered giving up at the start of this year. It seemed our schedules wouldn't match but we found a way to make it happen. Going to Hawaii at Dylan's mother's insistence almost destroyed the bond we have.'

'So tonight,' Kate watched the response carefully.

'The makeup sex you joked about this afternoon. Believe me, it was good,' unable to keep the explosion of glee from her face, it made Kate join in the reliving laughter. 'In fact I'd say the best we managed so far. What that man can't do with his hands isn't worth doing!'

'Does Dylan know about this mystery guy,' Kate finally managed.

'Yes,' Kallan grinned. Before Kate could ask if the mystery man was Dylan, she offered, 'I'm glad I told you. I can hardly talk to Cadet Beyda about this and I needed to tell someone.'

'I guess talking to Dylan about your **_entertainment_** would be a little awkward,' Kate smirked back.

'He doesn't tell me about his,' Kallan joined in the frivolity.

'I don't think I'd want to know what he gets up too,' Kate added. 'I'm glad you told me about this. It makes me feel more like a friend rather than someone you have to spend time with.'

'Me too,' Kallan agreed.

The discussion signalled a new phase to their friendship. Opening up, Kate and Kallan found they had a lot in common. While she admired Kallan for her determination, Kate's goal of one day teaching at the academy, maybe even overseeing her own department were just as far reaching as her roommates.

The days began to speed up as mid semester exams approached. Everyone, including Bruce the larrikin, buckled down in the final weeks before yet more cadets would be forced out of the academy. At the end of their eleventh week, with the testing over until the end of semester, most of the cadets took their weekend leave.

'I think I know how Lt. Commander Frank is going to pass the class,' Kallan stated, lying beside Dylan in her cot.

'Yes,' he offered the noise, on the edge of sleep. He didn't get the chance to stay that way as his lover elbowed him in the ribs. 'I'm listening,' Dylan complained with a smile covering a yarn.

'Kate goes away for the weekend,' Kallan teased, turning to face him, 'and anyone would think I've worn you out, Hotshot.'

'I'm just gathering the energy for round two, Sweetheart,' Dylan tried out the nickname, deciding he liked it. _Not_, he made an internal note, _that I'm about to use it within the hearing of anyone else_.

'Are you really going to try and stick me with a diminutive like that?' Kallan asked. 'I thought you'd be more original.'

'We can argue semantics all night,' Dylan warned, 'or you can tell me about your oceanology classes, then we can get a couple of hours sleep before I use what's left of the night in more entertaining ways.'

'You win,' Kallan sighed. Placing a hand under her cheek signalled her readiness for slumber. 'When the three papers came back with a mark out of fifty, we assumed that meant for the assignment we submitted. It only occurred to me, when I noticed the exam made up twenty precent of our final grade, that he'd pooled the first half of the semester in the fifty points. So marks of nine out of fifty actually represented the ninetieth percentile.'

'Kallan,' berated Dylan, 'you've never scored as low as ninety precent in your life.'

'So,' she teased, 'maybe I left out the point seven five.'

'Dad said you'd beat me this semester,' forcing her closer, Dylan's tone suggested she didn't ask about the conversation between father and son.

'You really where worried about me,' she said in an awed tone. The comment tired together her discussion with Louise and a mother's comment about her son's anxiety for his friend. Kallan could guess the rest.

'Not as concerned as your confession to Kate. I don't think it's going to take her long to figure out the identity of your mystery man,' Dylan lamented. 'Bill hasn't said a word.'

'He didn't need to,' Kallan allowed a broad smile to cross her lips, 'his look the last time we went out with the Honour Role gave away his feelings. He's intrigued about the how, when, why and where but smart enough not to ask. I think it's a good thing, allowing us to speak to someone else about this.'

'Guys,' Dylan's tone informed, 'don't discuss their partners, they brag about their conquests.'

Sound asleep at two am, Dylan didn't have the heart to wake Kallan as much a particular part of his anatomy tried to convince him. Laying a gentle kiss on her temple, he climbed out of her warm bed. She didn't react to the movement. Redressing quietly, he ensured a clear path back to his room. Even now, with both their roommates and most of the student population on leave, they maintained a level of discretion few would ever appreciate. He'd come to value Kallan's foresight.

'Ready,' Dylan asked a month later.

'As I'll ever be,' Kallan responded.

Suited in EVA gear, they'd passed the initial tests yesterday. Now able to done their equipment without help and check the seals, the needed to pass the exam in zero gravity before they'd be allowed to accompany Commander Marc Beyda to Rosen Donate. In thirty seconds weightless would occur and their final test would commence. One minute the time limit to strip and re-suit under conditions neither had experienced before.

Watching the clock count down, Kallan reached a hand out to grasp Dylan's. It offered good wishes and demanded a calming influence. Her heart beating at an elevated rate, Kallan's insecurities came back to haunt her.

_It's just like a ditch and recover_, her mind supplied, thinking back to her suba diving training. Green eyes locked onto brown which smiled knowingly. Dylan alone knew how hard she worked to lock her insecurities behind a stoic mask. He used a glance to communicate his belief in her, in their ability to overcome this obstacle, giving them a chance to experience space well before their classmates.

As the timer reached zero, Kallan felt her body lift slightly from the seat. Still constrained by her harness, she moved slowly to unbuckle it. Even a small amount of force became enough to lift her body out of the chair. Beside her, Dylan began floating in mid-air.

'Let's do this,' he stated a wide grin on his face, obviously looking forward to the new challenge.

The moment she reached for her helmet, Kallan understood how even the slightest movement affected her position in space. Using her gymnastic training, she corrected her actions. Dylan watched, using his friend's mistakes to guide his behaviour. Within thirty seconds they'd managed to remove their gloves, boots and oxygen tank. Striped to their flight suits capable of withstanding the vacuum of space, they started to attach items. Barely making the time limit, they'd both seal their suits. It took another fifteen seconds to test the internal computer system and ensure they didn't have a leak.

'Well done,' Trenah Davies remarked over their suit coms. 'It's fairly unusual to have beginners pass the first time around. We'll be able to make the next re-entry window and be back at base for afternoon tea.'

'We aim to be different from the main crowd,' Kallan teased, elated by their success.

'So I've been reliably informed,' came back the jovial response. 'Buckle in for the return journey. You'll be leaving orbit in twenty five seconds. See you both ground side.'

'So,' Louise asked later that evening, sitting down to dinner at one of her favourite San Diego restaurants, 'you both exceeded the expectations of the staff at the La Jolla training centre.'

'Did you expect anything else,' The Commodore pointed out. 'I still don't know why you changed the location at the last minute, Son,' he addressed Marc Beyda.

'You just hate leaving your island,' Kallan, more at ease with the older man grinned.

'I like having company,' Gilbert stated, 'and I like getting my own way. That's why I've arranged for you to spend your end of year break working at the IRO base in Hawaii.'

'What?' Kallan grasped.

'No need to look so surprised girl,' Commodore Beyda waved away her overjoyed reaction as unnecessary. 'You'll be working with Lt Commander Frank. He speaks highly of you. In fact this is his suggestion. Want's to test you mettle under real conditions, not simulated ones.'

'I bet,' Dylan offered in a devoid of any emotion, 'you hardly objected to the idea.'

'No,' Gilbert could play the same dead pan expression his grandson affected in almost every discussion, 'and neither will you if means you can stay with you partner at our house for a month. Not that you'll miss out. I've arranged for you to join the flight staff. Commander Sellheim agrees with me, we can't let all that experience be wasted. Besides, it's time you got back into the cockpit of a super stream jet.'


End file.
